Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP has been virtually dumped by the NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a move seen as a bid to end tension within the alliance due to the Union minister’s public outbursts over not being offered more than three seats for 2019 polls.
Patna: Ahead of final discussions on Lok Sabha seat-sharing issues, RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha’s meeting with estranged JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav last week seems to have widened the rift within NDA, virtually ending Union minister’s chances of striking a favourable deal with saffron allies.
Reports suggest that seat-sharing issues among NDA constituents are likely to be settled by the end of this week and Mr Kushwaha may not get even a single seat, despite the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party’s (RLSP) repeated demands for more than three seats for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
As per the talk in political circles, the BJP-JD(U) in Bihar is likely to contest on 17 seats each and the remaining six seats may go to Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Sources said that the BJP leadership decided to go with this formula after Mr Kushwaha visited Sharad Yadav’s residence to discuss the political situation in Bihar.
Political analysts said that the latest seat-sharing formula is likely to change the political arithmetic of the state and Mr Kushwaha, who has been demanding a larger number of seats for the 2019 general elections, may virtually be forced to walk out of the NDA.
“Our party feels that there are a few leaders in the JD(U) and the BJP who are misleading the BJP leadership in New Delhi. We will wait for BJP president Amit Shah to decide whether he wants us to remain in the NDA or not,” RLSP leader Jitendra Nath told this newspaper.
Party leaders said that Mr Kushwaha, who is serving as minister of state for human resource development in the Narendra Modi government, was expected to meet and discuss seat-sharing issues with Mr Shah on Friday. He will be back in Patna to chair a national executive meeting of the RLSP on Saturday.
“We have been waiting for the BJP leadership to intervene and clear the air on the seat-sharing issue. The BJP should remember that the NDA will suffer in elections if the RLSP leaves,” Jitendra Nath said.
Mr Kushwaha has been upset with the BJP at being offered less number of seats for the 2019 general elections. The RLSP had fought on three seats in 2014 and won all. The state sends 40 members to Lok Sabha.
The Union minister had earlier said, “The RLSP’s demand for more than three seats was conveyed to the BJP leadership and party expects a final meeting to settle the issue”.
He had also blamed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar of trying to break his party by luring two of his MLAs Lalan Paswan and Sudhanshu Shekhar and offering them ministerial berths in the state Cabinet.
Both the MLAs had met JD(U) vice-president Prashant Kishor last week in Patna. Another setback for the RLSP chief came when LJP parliamentary party secretary-general Chirag Paswan met Nitish Kumar and Mr Kishor on Monday in Patna.
Sources said that Chirag Paswan’s meeting with Nitish Kumar was a major blow to Mr Kushwaha who had been banking heavily on Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan’s father, for political support and securing more than three seats for fighting the Lok Sabha polls in May 2019.
Chirag Paswan later slammed Mr Kushwaha for “creating confusion” by meeting political leaders from the Opposition camp.
A BJP leader criticized the RLSP chief saying, “He has been looking for an opportunity to leave the NDA and join the RJD-led mahagathbandhan. He has also been trying to level allegations against Nitish Kumar by politicising ‘neech’ (lowly) word which was never used by the chief minister against Mr Kushwaha.”
The latest political development has given rise to speculation about Mr Kushwaha’s future in the NDA. The Congress recently said that Mr Kushwaha should join the mahagathbandhan.
“There is nothing left for Mr Kushwaha in the NDA anymore. His party will soon join mahagathbandhan in Bihar,” Congress leader Prem Chand Mishra told reporters.
